I definitely see the classroom going digital. All of the classes I take now seem to all require me to log onto some digital website or another in order to participate in the class. Also, the bookstore is offering more options as far as textbooks go; ebooks and echapters. They are cheaper but unfortunately these options also mean that after a certain period your no longer allowed access to the chapters or ebook you paid for, which just seems wrong to me. Plus, because you don’t get to keep the books you also can’t sale them back to the campus bookstore, an outside book vendor, or another student like the hard print books. If the book costs $100 then the ebook could be priced at $50 or so and the echapters are priced by how many chapters are in the book. The school started offering these alternatives about a year and a half ago so there aren’t many books available. They can be a good option depending on the book but I haven’t tried either choice, mostly because they don’t tend to offer them for the courses I take.

He loves the computer and has an older laptop of his own. He plays video games (system games) better than I do and is really bad about telling everyone else that plays how to play them. He’s beaten all the Lego games (Indy, Batman & Star Wars). They really help with his fine motor skills as well as his memory and thought processes, which is the primary reason he gets to play them as much as he does.

Writes is in quotes because he tells the story, I write it up with minor tweaks, and he then copies it. And yes, his teachers know we do it this way. He’s special needs, so the sheer fact that he DOES it gets him points because more often than not, he won’t cooperate.

His second grade teacher allowed him to type his spelling homework if we turned off the spell check tools in Word. He still had to write them in class, but as you say, he was able to concentrate on the content rather than the execution and it was a big help.

One good thing I can say about our school district is that they adopted computers in the classroom early on. They’re trying their second experiment with handhelds. The tried using Palm Pilots several years ago but the technology wasn’t ready. Now they’re looking at storing etextbooks on iPods. They also have a program where they take donated equipment and refurbish it for low-income families to use. DA readers might want to see if their school districts have a similar program. It’s a good use for gear you no longer need.

But I’d still like her to have the opportunity to type for school more often, since she’s better able to concentrate on the actual content of her report when her grandmother and I aren’t constantly looking over her shoulder to tell her “I can’t even read that mess, erase it and write it over.” Plus she ends up writing more, because we all know how a half page of typing looks compared to a nearly full page of writing. Honestly, I don’t know why schools aren’t jumping all over this and investing more of their budgets in digital media centers for their students.

It’s ugly, but it works.

And what’s wrong with the hunt and peck method of typing? As long as you’ve got an idea of the keyboard layout, there’s not nearly so much time spent on the “hunt” portion. I type 90+ wpm “hunting and pecking” in my own self-developed style. It was only when I tried to take a typing class in college and learn how to type the “right” way that my speed dropped down to a pathetic 15-20 wpm. I’ll stick with my hunt and peck, thanks. I must admit though, I got a typing program for my daughter when I bought her laptop. But mostly because I thought she’d like the game portion; I don’t know how much actual benefit she’s getting out of the typing lessons.

Children develop fine motor skills at different rates. She’ll get the hang of it. The two things that helped our son were the computer and crafting. Yeah, crafting. Twist your arm. ;-)

My nephew uses a computer like a pro, and he’s not even three yet. It’s amazing how fast he absorbs this stuff. Video games really helped my 7y/o with his fine motor skills, which he was way behind on due to a variety of issues he’s had over the years. Anything that helps him is great, IMO.

I thought there was a bill in Congress to address the digital divide. I’m not sure about the particulars, but I’ll post it if I find it. It is a major consideration because everything is on the computer these days.

That thing is really bubbling my bong.

So far as computer stuff: my sister and I have computer typing games on our computers: typing is a vanishing skillset in education, so we use these for our kid(s) to teach them standard typing…otherwise they grow up to hunt and peck. My stepson has been raised with video games and computer games, so him doing homework on the computer is second nature. Starting them in school is almost a handicap–if they’re just then learning about it, they’re already behind, it seems.

Actually Holland stated it the other way around but I decided to put the positive spin on it.

I’ve begun mentally rewording things like “sales are flat” to “sales are solid and stable”.

ETA: Oh, now I get it. Accused of being left by right reading Beck fan, no more book sales by left readers who do not like Beck. It’s a slow day for Growly’s brain…